Suxiao Jiuxin Pill, a compound Chinese traditional medicine with main components of tetramethylpyrazine and borneol, is widely used for antiangina treatment in China but its pharmacological effect on human blood vessels is unknown. We investigated the effect and possible mechanism of SJP in the human internal mammary artery (IMA, n = 78) taken from patients undergoing coronary surgery. SJP caus...

We report the synthesis and characterization of a novel carbon nanostructure-based magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent (MRI CA); graphene nanoplatelets intercalated with manganese (Mn(2+)) ions, functionalized with dextran (GNP-Dex); and the in vitro assessment of its essential preclinical physicochemical properties: osmolality, viscosity, partition coefficient, protein binding, thermosta...

This paper reports on the analytical application of the oxidation reaction of [Os(bpy)3]2+ by Mn7+ (MnO4-). The present study developed a very simple, sensitive and selective spectrophotometric method for the determination of manganese in an acidic medium. Three analytical wavelengths were employed in the UV and visible regions at 290, 315 and 480 nm. Beer's law was obeyed up to a concentration...

Since herbal teas, infusions and decoctions prepared from medicinal plants are popular remedies, it remains a topical question whether these herbal drugs can be treated as sources of essential elements for humans, who often use them in their everyday diet. Therefore, total and water-extractable contents of Mg, Mn and Cu were determined in 41 leaves originating from four botanical species of Pla...

Streptomyces misionensis strain PESB-25 was screened and selected for its ability to secrete cellulases. Cells were grown in a liquid medium containing sugarcane bagasse (SCB) as carbon source and corn steep liquor (CSL) as nitrogen source, whose concentrations were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). A peak of endoglucanase accumulation (1.01 U · mL(-1)) was observed in a mediu...

The study was aimed at evaluating the antioxidant activity of hydroalcoholic solution extracts of Urtica dioica L. (UD), Malva neglecta Wallr. (MN) plants and their mixture. In this study, flower (UDF), root (UDR), seed (UDS) and leaf (UDL) parts of UD and flower (MNF) and leaf (MNL) parts of MN were used. The antioxidant properties of hydroalcoholic extracts and their mixture were evaluated us...